Winners' Thoughts 2017

PensionDanmark
European Pension Fund of the Year and Innovation 2017
 “We are very proud of being awarded European Pension Fund of the Year for the third time. This award and the Innovation trophy in 2017 are further international recognition of our persistent focus on securing the best possible pensions for our members. High yields and low costs require continued innovation. These awards are also just recognition of our extensive focus on digitalisation and robotics and inspire additional motivation for us to continue our work in these areas and beyond.”
Torben Möger Pedersen, CEO
Ärzteversorgung Westfalen-Lippe
Germany (Versorgungswerk) and Real Assets & Infrastructure 2017
“Taking part in the internationally highly regarded IPE Awards has become practically part of our annual strategy process. It gives us the opportunity to review our investment orientation and how best to develop it further. We are very pleased once again to have been awarded several times by IPE’s renowned panel of judges."
Christian Mosel, Chief Executive Officer​
Frjálsi Pension Fund
Small Countries 2017
“The IPE Awards Frjálsi Pension Fund has won in recent years have been hugely important to the fund as membership of the fund is not mandatory and have contributed to its growth. They have also inspired greater loyalty among existing members and greater confidence among stakeholders. Moreover, they provide important recognition of the work of employees and inspire them to find new ways to manage the assets to boost returns on a risk-adjusted basis and improve member services.”
Arnaldur Loftsson, Managing Director
Fundo de Pensões Horizonte Valorização
Portugal 2017
“Fundo de Pensões Horizonte Valorização once again, being distinguished as the best Portuguese Pension Fund in its class, by a prestigious European publication such as Investment & Pensions Europe is an even greater motivation to meet the expectations of our customers.”​
Manuel Veiga Alves, Direção Comercial, Ocidental Pensões 
Strathclyde Pension Fund
United Kingdom 2017
“This is our second IPE success – 11 years apart! Winning these isn’t easy, which makes it all the more enjoyable. Really satisfying to be considered among the best in Europe.”​
Richard McIndoe, Director
Pensions Caixa 21, Pension Fund
Spain (corporate scheme) 2017
“Pensions Caixa 21 winning the IPE Award as best Spanish corporate pension fund is recognition of the work and commitment of VidaCaixa to long-term savings management. It is also a source of pride for us to be among the pension fund managers recognised in the European industry. Participating in a such a prestigious forum allows us to witness to new trends in investments and regulatory changes in the pensions market at an international level.”​
Jorge Balcells, Head Of Credit ISR, VidaCaixa
Pension Plan Swedbank Dinamika
Central & Eastern Europe 2017
"We are very proud of this industry recognition. It shows we are on the right track and did the right thing by dropping the index approach to our fixed income portfolios and realigning our efforts towards alternative investments. These initiatives have contributed favourably to the performance and the perception of the Latvian pension system.​"
Peteris Stepins, Director, Swedbank Investment Management Latvia
Laborfonds
Italy 2017
“We are very proud to have won for the fourth time the IPE Country Award as best pension fund in Italy. Both participants and the IPE Conference are always of a high standing, representing the whole European pension management’s elite. It is also rewarding for the whole Laborfonds’s team seeing its effort and highly specialised know-how recognised for recent expansion of alternative investments, extensive risk management and new strategies in promoting the scheme.”
Ivonne Forno, General Manager
Trafalgar House Pension Trust
Risk Management 2017
“The trustee directors are delighted that Trafalgar House has again achieved success at the IPE awards. It is a wonderful achievement to be assessed by as being among the very best Corporate pensions; and the award for Risk Management is particularly pleasing as the directors have long believed that this is key  to sustaining the Trust while following a long-term investment strategy that explicitly aims to increase the assets of the Trust at a greater rate than the members’ actual liabilities.”​
Paul Haines, Chief Investment Officer​
Unifondo V Pension Fund
Small Pension Fund 2017
“As a pension fund with a relative small assets under management total, a fairly conservative risk profile, but more than commendable results and historical profitability, it is a great source of satisfaction and honour to win the 2017 IPE Award as the best small European pension fund. It is all the more rewarding when you consider that Spain’s social security framework regarding pensions is less developed than it other European countries."
Antonio García García​, President of the Control Commission​
Geroa Pentsioak EPSV
Spain (multi-manager scheme) 2017
“Both IPE and the IPE Awards are highly prestigious. For Geroa EPSV, winning is sound recognition of our strategy and very important because it gives us good visibility as a small fund. Winning an IPE award inspires confidence among our members that the scheme is managed well and it adds value compared to our competitors. It is also a great source of internal pride and reward for our teams."
Ramón Nieto, Chief Investment Officer
Allianz Pensionskasse
Austria (Pensionskasse) 2017
“Winning the IPE Award as best Austrian Pensionskasse is a real highlight and reassures us that we are on the right track for our clients and boosts our ambition to find new and innovative investment approaches."
Marita Hofer, Law and Compliance Management
Winners' Thoughts 2018
Winners' Thoughts 2016